Thursday, February 14, 2013

In a guest blog post for Giving in L.A., a blog hosted by the California Community Foundation, BlackGivesBack's NY contributor Akira Barclay shares insight on how community foundations can make meaningful connections to the African American community. A community foundation is an organization that is supported by donations from its local residents that distributes funds in a specific geographic area.

Akira states that although blacks give more than any other racial group in the country, tapping into the generosity of this group remains a mystery for many including community foundations looking for ways to connect with new donors. She offers three ways to begin building bridges to the Black philanthropic community. One is to expand the definition of wealth:

“While media reports of recent megagifts to a handful of community funds dominate the headlines, ultra high net worth individuals are not the only population worth pursuing. Welcome simple and significant wealth by reaching out to middle class donors of color. Establishing meaningful relationships in the early wealth-building stages, particularly with entrepreneurs creates history. That history breeds trust and makes you a more likely recipient of future largesse.”